TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) Ray Miles, the man who was arrested Wednesday morning after a violent attack on staff members at WIBW, was a war veteran battling homelessness and desperately looking for help.

According to the volunteers of america at voa.org, in 2011 there were over 130,000 veterans that experienced homelessness in America.

Numbers of former war heroes in Topeka deal with the grim fear of homelessness and having that desperation can sometimes lead to disaster.

Places like the Topeka Rescue Mission are designed to provide specialized help that those in need can turn to.

Executive Director of Topeka Rescue Mission, Barry Feaker is familiar with situations similar to what happened with Ray Miles Wednesday morning. In fact he has been familiar with Miles since 2007.

Ray Miles had been receiving help under the Mission's roof on and off for several years with his last visit, coming this past April.

Miles was asked to leave the facility due to violent behavior and his whereabouts were unknown to his staff after he left, until his attack Wednesday morning.

"Safety issues are important to the services we provide. People who suffer from hoplessness often times will think desperately and act upon them, we prepare for it alot and make sure people are as safe as possible" said Feaker.

Barry Feaker believes that if not for places like the Department of Veterans Affairs, Rescue Mission, Salvation Army, Door Step and Project Topeka providing help daily, these situations would occur more frequently and be much worse.

He says, "It doesn't protect everything or cure everything but it makes a huge difference on what desperate people do at desperate times."

Miles was treated for minor injuries and booked into jail Wednesday afternoon on charges including aggravated assault and aggravated criminal threat causing evacuation.

Court records show he has had previous run-ins with the law. He was convicted of obstruction in 2007 and in 2010, received a suspended jail sentence for battery against a law enforcement officer.

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